Category: Screenwriting

TV pilots have a special place in the world of TV writing. They serve a very specific purpose. I’ve previously written about how to write a TV pilot that producers want to make. They must introduce the world of the TV series, the main characters, their dilemmas, the format, and some clue of the arc…

Thriller movies are a staple of our cinema screens. Let’s explore the most significant ways to write a screenplay in this exciting and popular genre. 1) CAPTIVATION Most thriller movie scripts begin with a mystery that unravels throughout the course of the story. It could be a crime, a clue, an enigma a secret or…

Few main characters can sustain an audience for the full length of a screenplay. Okay, Tom Hanks in Castaway is an exception. Generally speaking, the main characters in your film need other characters around them to help them achieve (or not achieve) their goal. Bring the PIVOT CHARACTERS to the mix. They are often referred…

The scene descriptions in your screenwriting have a tricky, sometimes tumultuous, relationship with script readers. How so, you ask? Some script readers scan through screenplay scene description to speed up their reading process. I’ve spoken to studio level readers who read scene titles and dialogue. This approach tells them the story and gives them an…

It’s script o’clock. again Your story, characters and dialogue are the nuts and bolts of your screenplay. The timing represents the grease in your screenwriting. Let’s spend some time with this important structural screenplay element. TIME PERIOD This relates to the setting of your story. Is it historical, contemporary or futuristic? This can bed demonstrated…

Congratulations. An agent, manager or film/ TV producer is interested in your screenplay. Woo hoo! What now! You have options. Sorry. I had to throw that in. A screenplay option agreement grants a movie or TV producer the exclusive right to market your script, secure finance and attach talent. It does not grant them intellectual property…

I’ve previously written about various extreme characters you can include in your screenplay to create some really interesting stories. These range from simple liars, to the delusional, to the dark villains. Extreme characters make for highly engaging films, especially in the horror, drama and thriller genres. You can really put your psychology to work in…

There is a term bandied around TV writers rooms called the ENGINE. What exactly is the engine of a TV show? As its name suggests, the simplest way to describe your story engine, is to define what drives every episode in the series. The engine is the nerve center of your TV series. It defines…

The characters in your screenplay are the basis of your story. They are typically categorized as either protagonists and antagonists. One group of characters either helps the main character achieve their story goal, while the other other acts to obstruct them. The main characters have mentors, buddies and helpers to lead them to their final goal….

Okay. Hold on to your keyboards fellow screenwriters. Don’t fire virtual missiles at me. Every screenwriter experiences fear and doubt during their writing process. We wrestle with these major two key questions: Is my screenwriting any good? Is my concept any good? The answers to these questions are irrelevant. What matters is, that the anxiety should spur your…

Screenwriters often define their characters in two key ways; via their dramatic function such as protagonist or antagonist. and by their personality traits such as kindness, selfishness or generosity. However, we can also enhance our screenwriting by paying attention to character speech patterns. This is not just their dialog (actual words spoken), but more the way…